Dangerous and capable. Severe aggression help.

This is a place to gain some understanding of dog behavior and to assist people in training their dogs and dealing with common behavior problems, regardless of the method(s) used. This can cover the spectrum from non-aversive to traditional methods of dog training. There are many ways to train a dog. Please avoid aggressive responses, and counter ideas and opinions with which you don't agree with friendly and helpful advice. Please refrain from submitting posts that promote off-topic discussions. Keep in mind that you may be receiving advice from other dog owners and lovers... not professionals. If you have a major problem, always seek the advice of a trainer or behaviorist!

So, we had Atlas out on the long lead by the marina near our local park tonight- the park itself had all the roads closed, seems to be shut down for the winter.

It was a little tense at first because there were still a few people around, getting in their cars, and leaving - Atlas will occasionally decide a random car is something he wants to chase, so I kept him close to me until it was fairly empty. After everyone was gone, it was great. He was so excited, all the new smells- it really reminds me how young he is when I think, yeah, bet you've never smelled goose poop before. It was really refreshing, and this new way of walking him really makes it more enjoyable, to me. Not constantly thinking about giving little leach jerks or making sure he's not walking ahead, being able to observe him getting excited and chasing scents on the ground.

He was only walking for about 25 minutes, but by the time we got home, he was so exhausted- I think he was just very mentally sated from the new area and combined with the new freedom on the leash. Every time we'd turn around, once he'd notice he'd suddenly run to catch up. I've never seen him look so nice and worn out before, he just settled down under feet in the kitchen as soon as we got home.

On the food front- He isn't too fond of this new food, and was really confused this morning, especially without his canned food. We mixed in the Annamaet about 25% into the science diet kibble. He's also accustomed to getting milk bones in the evening when we feed the cats, since it keeps him on good behavior whenever he knows a treat is coming.

Other food's we're looking at now, that have been suggested, are:
Natural Balance
Taste of the Wild
Kirkland Signature

Since we already have this bag of Annamaet that my mom grabbed from the vet, we'll acclimate him to it and see if there's any changes in his skin/ear after a month, to see if grain-free is helping or not.

Atlas.. We feed a raw diet but buy Natural Balance and TotW as training treats. I've never fed kirkland but I have heard good stuffs about it too.
At a bunch of the little feed stores there has always been a big box of Natural Balance samples, maybe go pick up a bunch of those to make sure he likes it. Theres lots of different formulas..
Although Nare likes the fishy and duck flavors, a lot of dogs don't share the same feelings! So beware of those weird flavors. I think TotW also has a new formula with bison ? We still gotta check that out

TotW should be easier on your pocket too-- We can get a 30# bag for 37$

i'm so glad Atlas got to have lots of fun! long leads are great, arent they? the one we have is 50ft.. uhh, 50 feet of tangles, that is.

So happy to hear you went for it, Atlas! It's not merely the exercise, but as you related, also the richness of experience and the liberty of it. They simply need that. As I believe I related before, these problems so often attach, so often escalate, with their worlds getting smaller and smaller. It's just the cliche pattern. I am sure this has been a very positive day and him and has given him some chance to unwind.

Taste of the Wild is excellent, if you want to try rolling with that. On the other front, look on the ingredient list of what you are feeding him, and let that be your structure. If chicken is in there, you can get some chicken broth at the store and stir some in, which will allow more of that intense aroma he is used to (or, beef broth if it is a beef based food). Similarly, by sticking to the ingredient list on the bag, perhaps instead of the milkbones you can just make your own snacks. Soak some of the food in some broth, form it into treat shapes when it absorbs everything, and then dry those out on a low setting in the oven and use them instead of the milkbones.

Thank you all. I think making our own treats out of ingredients that match the kibble he's on right now is the way to go. We're going to be going out and exploring what foods area available nearby, we got a tip from another forum about kinds of shops that unexpectedly carry dog food for cheap (tractor supply- who would have thought?).

Ophelia- Thank you for the advice. I do know that exercise is very important, especially for this breed; I don't know if you have been following along but Atlas has some physical conditions that make it impossible for us to walk him for an hour's length right now, which we are trying to absolve as quickly as possible, but will unfortunately require some time for healing. As of right now we are trying to take him out for multiple walks of shorter length in a day to try and get as much walking time in as we can without upsetting his legs.

Nare- Oh man, the tangles. We have a 20ft one and I don't dare go longer than that. I also have to be careful because Atlas gets it under his legs a lot and... Well, he is the clumsiest dog I've ever owned, and the last thing I need is him hurting himself again. I keep a close eye on it while we are walking.

off the top off my head I can list you quite a few limited ingredient dog foods
Natural Balance L.I.
Blue Buffalo L.I. or even the grain free stuff
Simply Nourish L.I.
Wellness has limited ingredient food
so does Nutro, Innova had grain free,
Nature's Variety
I got this off a list so I'm not sure exactly how costly or good these are =>Orijen, Acana, Life’s Abundance, Lambaderm, Wellness CORE, Avoderm (go through the label to find the bag with the best fit for your pooch), Flint River Ranch, Solid Gold’s Barking at the Moon, and Canidae. Dog treats aren't the hardest to produce heck I use human food even like melons, apples, carrots, lettuce, bananas peanut butter, you can also give canned pumpkin and all sorts of things if you look up dog treat recipes online all you have to do is substitute the products he is allergic to for ones that he isn't as I said treats need not be expensive to fit your needs

Small Update:
I feel as though Atlas is doing a bit better on the leash. Its still too early to tell, really, but when we passed a couple getting out of their car, instead of barking or pulling, he just became very alert and put a slight tension on the lead.

On the food, he reacted much better to it this morning- I feel as though his previous hesitation may just have even because it was new, and likely still smelled like the vet's office.

Also, my parents were at Costco today and picked up Kirkland's grainfree Nature's Domain- it was $35 for a 35 lb bag! Almost knocked me off my feet. We picked up the Salmon and Sweet potato variety. We also found some grain-free banana-flavored treats, perfect. We aren't going to give them to him yet until we've had time with him switching foods over, so we'll have an easier time isolating the allergy.

There haven't been any food aggression incidents, but no real opportunities have crept up. If anything does, of course, I'll post about it here.